Solar mobile homes

By
Charles E. Dole /
June 20, 1980

To the real estate editor: A reader asks if there are any mobile-home manufacturers now producing units with solar heating.

In 1979, Dave Schleiger, Steve Gilmore, and Tom Schlageter won a special commendation and first-place award in the passive design competition sponsored by the governor's office and the energy commission in California for a passive-solar envelope for mobile homes. They now are principals in Contextus Corporation of Chico, Calif.

We are currently evaluating both manufacturing processes and test data. A test envelope is being built to measure both heating and cooling efficiency of the envelope on a mobile home in northern California, where summer temperatures reach 110 degrees F. and drop to 30 degrees F. in the winter. George Forester Chico, Calif.